Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
What Is God's Name? (Part 4)
We've been talking here about God's name as Father (we'll look at God's other names later). We said that we can let God, as a perfect Father, define
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Holiday (and everyday) Memories
The Lovely Joanne happened to see a fascinating segment of the CBS magazine show "60 Minutes" this week. This was about people who remember everything that has ever happened to them, from an early age. They can remember and re-live every instance from any day in their lives, even 20 or 30 years ago, with perfect clarity. (You can find the full story here.)
Even without that perfect memory, I have some good memories of the past, and some very bad ones. I'd like to remember the good ones better, and forget the bad ones forever. But memory can be a useful tool as well as an irritant. Memory can help us avoid repeating the same dumb stunts over and over, and hopefully remember dates that are important to our loved ones. (Note to self, remember more birthdays!)
Another thought about memory: God has decided to forget all our sins. In Isaiah 43:25, looking forward to forgiving all humans because of his Son Jesus, he says "I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again." That's a wonderful promise! And it's straight from God's own grace, not from our good works or deserving it. I'm very thankful God has forgotten my sins -- I'd certainly like it if nobody on earth remembered any of them either!
Louise Owen, one of the people interviewed for the "60 Minutes" story, said about her gift of perfect memory, "it makes me live my life with so much more intention and so much more joy...Because I know that I'm gonna remember whatever happens today, it's like, all right, what can I do to make today significant?" That comment made me stop and ask myself the same question. How can I make today meaningful? What can I do to plant a good memory in someone else's day, or bring joy to someone? Paul tells us to live the "new life" in Eph. 4:23-24: "Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy." Being "more intentional" as Louise said, paying more attention to the new life we've been given, will help us leave those good memories for someone else. And maybe even for ourselves.
Even without that perfect memory, I have some good memories of the past, and some very bad ones. I'd like to remember the good ones better, and forget the bad ones forever. But memory can be a useful tool as well as an irritant. Memory can help us avoid repeating the same dumb stunts over and over, and hopefully remember dates that are important to our loved ones. (Note to self, remember more birthdays!)
Another thought about memory: God has decided to forget all our sins. In Isaiah 43:25, looking forward to forgiving all humans because of his Son Jesus, he says "I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again." That's a wonderful promise! And it's straight from God's own grace, not from our good works or deserving it. I'm very thankful God has forgotten my sins -- I'd certainly like it if nobody on earth remembered any of them either!
Louise Owen, one of the people interviewed for the "60 Minutes" story, said about her gift of perfect memory, "it makes me live my life with so much more intention and so much more joy...Because I know that I'm gonna remember whatever happens today, it's like, all right, what can I do to make today significant?" That comment made me stop and ask myself the same question. How can I make today meaningful? What can I do to plant a good memory in someone else's day, or bring joy to someone? Paul tells us to live the "new life" in Eph. 4:23-24: "Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy." Being "more intentional" as Louise said, paying more attention to the new life we've been given, will help us leave those good memories for someone else. And maybe even for ourselves.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Faith
I've been reading through the book of Hebrews again -- I recommend reading it once a year as a tool for re-focusing our understanding of God. More on that another time. But today, since I was reading chapter 11, often called The Faith Chapter, a basic question came up: Why faith -- that is, faith in God? Why are we encouraged to have faith, and in this chapter and others we are told the stories of those who had faith? Here are a few of the reasons faith is so important:
1. Faith is the basis for a relationship with God. Adam and Eve didn't believe God was giving, and would always give, the best to them, even though God had put them in this beautiful place, given them all they needed, and they still didn't trust him. Instead, they turned away from God to follow what the serpent said, and suffered as a result. By contrast, what experience did they have with the serpent, that would tell them he was trustworthy? ("Would you buy a used car from this snake?") So, Hebrews 11:6 says "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." If you don't believe God, how would you relate to him?
2. Faith in God tells us that what God has promised will happen, even though we can't measure it with our five senses. Hebrews 11:1 says "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." So we have to trust that God will provide the reward of totally enjoyable life without end, in the presence of our Creator and Father -- a life we won't see or experience until after we pass from this temporary existence.
3. Faith helps us make the hard choices to do God's will. Noah 'built an ark'; Abraham 'went without knowing where he was going...was ready to sacrifice his only son Isaac'; Moses 'chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin'; and a hundred other stories. Including mine, and I hope, yours. Without trusting that God will somehow provide for us, how do we let go of the immediate desire in favor of the eternal joy? How would we offer our finances to God, rather than holding on to every penny for our own uses? Without faith, how do we know God will take care of us?
4. Faith is our link to salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that God saves us by grace through faith, and that salvation is not a reward for our obedience or works. In fact, verse 9 tells us that the faith itself is a gift of God -- which we must receive obediently, rather than insisting we can work it out ourselves somehow.
Trusting God -- another definition of faith -- is essential for a life spent listening to and responding to God. The stories in Hebrews 11 and many other places tell us it's possible to have that faith, and encourage us to ask God for a clearer and stronger trust in him. So if you feel yours is 'running low' or you're not doing too well at trusting him, now might be a good time to read those again and let God refresh your tired heart with his own strength and peace.
1. Faith is the basis for a relationship with God. Adam and Eve didn't believe God was giving, and would always give, the best to them, even though God had put them in this beautiful place, given them all they needed, and they still didn't trust him. Instead, they turned away from God to follow what the serpent said, and suffered as a result. By contrast, what experience did they have with the serpent, that would tell them he was trustworthy? ("Would you buy a used car from this snake?") So, Hebrews 11:6 says "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." If you don't believe God, how would you relate to him?
2. Faith in God tells us that what God has promised will happen, even though we can't measure it with our five senses. Hebrews 11:1 says "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." So we have to trust that God will provide the reward of totally enjoyable life without end, in the presence of our Creator and Father -- a life we won't see or experience until after we pass from this temporary existence.
3. Faith helps us make the hard choices to do God's will. Noah 'built an ark'; Abraham 'went without knowing where he was going...was ready to sacrifice his only son Isaac'; Moses 'chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin'; and a hundred other stories. Including mine, and I hope, yours. Without trusting that God will somehow provide for us, how do we let go of the immediate desire in favor of the eternal joy? How would we offer our finances to God, rather than holding on to every penny for our own uses? Without faith, how do we know God will take care of us?
4. Faith is our link to salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that God saves us by grace through faith, and that salvation is not a reward for our obedience or works. In fact, verse 9 tells us that the faith itself is a gift of God -- which we must receive obediently, rather than insisting we can work it out ourselves somehow.
Trusting God -- another definition of faith -- is essential for a life spent listening to and responding to God. The stories in Hebrews 11 and many other places tell us it's possible to have that faith, and encourage us to ask God for a clearer and stronger trust in him. So if you feel yours is 'running low' or you're not doing too well at trusting him, now might be a good time to read those again and let God refresh your tired heart with his own strength and peace.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
He's Been Here Already
Christians are waiting for the return of Jesus to rule the nations. That's completely legitimate, because He said He was coming back. But "back" means He's already been here once. And both of those points are the message of the traditional four weeks of Advent -- that the Son of God visited us once, and that He's returning. ("Advent" means "arrival," as we see in the name "Seventh-Day Adventists" who emphasize the Second Coming.)
The first week of Advent wraps up the entire year of Christian teaching and celebration, by telling us of that blessed, joyful return of our Savior to the world. Typically, the message of that day in song and sermon and prayer gives us reasons to lift up our eyes in hope of His return, and to be encouraged as we continue to work with Him on the earth now.
But of course, Jesus couldn't return unless He'd been here once already. The next three weeks of Advent teach us some of the many lessons of the first coming. Those include the fact that humanity needed His sacrifice for sin. But Jesus didn't just come here to die -- He, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, perfectly joined God with humanity for the first time. Because He did that, He healed the breach that was opened up in Eden and continued on to that time. All of the angels were waiting for that new beginning, and they celebrated at His birth (Luke 2:8-14) just like they had at the creation (Job 38:7).
Hebrews 9:26-28 gives us both ends of the Advent season when it says this: "But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."
Do you have goose bumps yet? I do, every time I think about the magnificent, all-inclusive scope of that passage. He's been here once; He dealt decisively with our separation from God; and He's coming back to finalize what He started a long, long time ago. I've got every reason that I can think of to celebrate. How about joining me?
The first week of Advent wraps up the entire year of Christian teaching and celebration, by telling us of that blessed, joyful return of our Savior to the world. Typically, the message of that day in song and sermon and prayer gives us reasons to lift up our eyes in hope of His return, and to be encouraged as we continue to work with Him on the earth now.
But of course, Jesus couldn't return unless He'd been here once already. The next three weeks of Advent teach us some of the many lessons of the first coming. Those include the fact that humanity needed His sacrifice for sin. But Jesus didn't just come here to die -- He, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, perfectly joined God with humanity for the first time. Because He did that, He healed the breach that was opened up in Eden and continued on to that time. All of the angels were waiting for that new beginning, and they celebrated at His birth (Luke 2:8-14) just like they had at the creation (Job 38:7).
Hebrews 9:26-28 gives us both ends of the Advent season when it says this: "But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."
Do you have goose bumps yet? I do, every time I think about the magnificent, all-inclusive scope of that passage. He's been here once; He dealt decisively with our separation from God; and He's coming back to finalize what He started a long, long time ago. I've got every reason that I can think of to celebrate. How about joining me?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Four Reasons to Celebrate the Resurrection
The death of our Lord was important. He was the perfect atonement for all our sins, so they are no longer a barrier between us and God. But lest we get wrapped up only in his death, we need to remember that we are also saved by his life:
Romans 5:8-10 says: 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
Why should we celebrate the resurrection? Here are four basic reasons:
1. His resurrection proves he was the Messiah, that he did die for our sins and was raised from the dead to make us whole.
1 Cor. 15:17-18 says: 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
2. His resurrection gives us our hope for a future life with God, beyond this physical life with all its troubles and brevity.
1 Cor. 15:19-22 says: 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
3. By faith we understand that the risen Jesus Christ lives in us, and we have new life already because of him.
Galatians 2:20 says: 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
4. The risen Jesus Christ is now with the Father, and is our advocate at the Father's throne. We are wrapped up in him and included with him, fully accepted and loved by God.
Ephesians 2:4-6 says: 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
Wow! What a series of blessings and gifts we have been given by this amazing act of God through his Son! These should give us every possible reason to rejoice this meaningful season. May you have a blessed week of celebration!
Romans 5:8-10 says: 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
Why should we celebrate the resurrection? Here are four basic reasons:
1. His resurrection proves he was the Messiah, that he did die for our sins and was raised from the dead to make us whole.
1 Cor. 15:17-18 says: 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
2. His resurrection gives us our hope for a future life with God, beyond this physical life with all its troubles and brevity.
1 Cor. 15:19-22 says: 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
3. By faith we understand that the risen Jesus Christ lives in us, and we have new life already because of him.
Galatians 2:20 says: 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
4. The risen Jesus Christ is now with the Father, and is our advocate at the Father's throne. We are wrapped up in him and included with him, fully accepted and loved by God.
Ephesians 2:4-6 says: 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
Wow! What a series of blessings and gifts we have been given by this amazing act of God through his Son! These should give us every possible reason to rejoice this meaningful season. May you have a blessed week of celebration!
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